The meeting by telephone conference call was the introductory meeting between St. Augustine's board of directors and the Rev. William Norvel, said board chairman Troy Henry.

Henry declined to discuss their conversation in detail. But he said the meeting laid a foundation for another conversation in mid-July "that might bring some conditions for closure."

"I believe we have the basis for reaching decisions that represent a win-win scenario for all parties," he said.

Norvel, currently a pastor in Washington, D.C., did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

As recently as June 21, Norvel, not yet a week in office as the new head of the religious order, issued an unambiguous statement that corporal punishment at St. Augustine is over. In an interview with The Times-Picayune on Monday, Norvel said that order remains in place.

That position presumably was on the table as his first meeting with the local board convened, so the basis for Henry's post-meeting optimism was not immediately clear.

The Rev. William Norvel, newly elected head of the Josephite order

Still, while "I'm not going to prejudge what the result of the upcoming meetings will be, we're hopeful it will all work out," Henry said.

For months, St. Augustine's parents, alumni and local administrators have angrily objected to the Josephites' unilateral suspension of corporal punishment at the school last year.

The Josephites' anti-paddling position is backed by Archbishop Gregory Aymond, who wants the practice stopped because he believes it is inconsistent with the school's Catholic identity.

Locally, many in the St. Augustine community believe that corporal punishment is one of several ingredients that have made the Josephite institution uncommonly successful.

More broadly, the Josephites' order has offended some friends of the school who say it shows disrespect for their competency as parents.

Henry said local board members hope the talks with the Josephites will settle not only the corporal punishment issue, but the collateral issues of governance and respect that the controversy churned up as well.